Tara resident saved by daughter's kidney donation

Tara’s John Bourjaily knows he’s not supposed to have a favorite child, but after his daughter Alisha gave him one of her kidneys, she shot to the top of his list. 

“My daughter saved my life,” Bourjaily said, “I would’ve never made it to Christmas. She told me, ‘Dad, you put me on this Earth, so I’ll do it for you.’”

The East County Observer sat down with Bourjaily and his wife Laura seven weeks after the kidney transplant. Bourjaily was teary eyed when speaking about the gift his daughter gave him. 

Bourjaily is a Type 2 diabetic. He said the drug used to control his blood sugar, metformin, “ruined” his kidneys. 

A year prior, he couldn’t finish nine holes of golf. Walking any kind of distance was a struggle.

Leading up to the surgery, he couldn’t even sit comfortably because his legs would twitch and shake. He also couldn’t sleep at night because of intense itching caused by a buildup of phosphorus in his body. 

If not for surgery, doctors told the 65-year-old that he only had days left to live. A dire situation was made even more stressful because the surgeries were scheduled during hurricane season. 

The transplant was postponed twice, the first time because of Hurricane Helene and the second because of Hurricane Milton. 

The surgeries also had to change locations after Hurricane Milton caused about 6 feet of flooding in the basement of HCA Florida Largo Hospital. 

Instead, the father and daughter were treated at HCA Northside Hospital on Oct. 22, two weeks later than originally scheduled. 

“The postponements were brutal both health wise and psychologically,” Bourjaily said. 

John and Laura Bourjaily met in 1980 and have been married for 35 years. They were divorced once in between. 

For Laura Bourjaily, it wasn’t just two hurricanes that doubled the stress. 

“I had to worry about my daughter and my husband,” she said. “My stress went from zero to 60.” 

In the midst of medical worries, the wife and mother also feared the transplant could get her daughter fired for missing so much work.

Alisha Bourjaily lives in Ohio. She couldn’t return home for over a month, but she’s since fully recovered from surgery and is back to work full time. She declined an interview. 

Photo by Jay Heater

Laura Bourjaily described her daughter as typically a procrastinator, but not when it came to her father’s ailing kidney. 

“She did not hesitate one minute,” she said. “I was so proud of her. To lose weight like she did, and she got all the bloodwork and X-rays done right away.”

Alisha Bourjaily had to lose 35 pounds just to be tested as a possible donor. Once she was determined to be a match, she had to lose another 10 pounds. 

Out of the couple’s four children, three were tested and two were a match. However, at 37-years-old, Alisha Bourjaily was the youngest and healthiest match. 

John Bourjaily is now feeling young and healthy, too. 

It's been hard for the former IT sales director to be so limited in his activities throughout his illness and recovery. He’s especially looking forward to February when he'll be medically cleared to play golf again. 

Photo by Jay Heater

For now, he gets weekly check ups, which are soon to be biweekly. He’ll be on an anti-rejection drug for the rest of his life, but his recovery is progressing well. 

After losing 20 pounds over the past year, his appetite has returned, but he’ll be staying away from the holiday buffets this season. 

Transplant patients are at high-risk of contracting bacterial infections. He has to eat all his meat well done, drink lots of water and eat frozen vegetables instead of canned. 

The minor lifestyle changes are well worth the results. 

“I’m very thankful and blessed this year,” Bourjaily said. “It’s been emotional. I said the prayer on Thanksgiving, but I got choked up.” 

He and his wife hosted a few friends for dinner. Normally, the couple would go back to Ohio to spend Christmas with their children. 

But Bourjaily hasn’t been cleared to travel or fly yet. When he talked about feeling guilty because he’s the reason they can’t go, his wife stopped him.

“It’s one Christmas,” she said. 

There’s more to come.